The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-08-13
WORDS TO MOTHERS
4 Few Ssnsible and Instructive Rsmsrss
on the Evils Of Self Abnegstion.

Few sensible and Instructive Remark
on the Evils Of self. Abaegstion.
You see, madame. you've sown an'
now you are reaping There's bee
on your part too much devotion T
the children aud too little to yourself
You are an individual as we'll as an.
oneof your children. You Chat in
dividua) call for improvement OF
every side. You've been saying al
these years: Il don't care much wha
becomes of me, 80 that the childrel
have q good send.off in the world
That's all wrong You've worke'
hard all these years. nursing thos
boys and girls feeding them, clothii|
them. worrying over them. You'v'
been for them mother. nursery COVER
ness, housekeeper and upper servant
and that's about all you've kept
yourself hived in your house. and
much out Of the world and out Of
society. You havcn't kept up with the
world. You neglect your dress and
look like adowdy. When you do dress.
you put OIL too much. When you
don't dress. you put on too little"
Your education in certain respects
has not gone on with that of the chill
dren. Education in this world or any
other never stops The education you
get from varied association with many
people is as good il not better than
that you get ost of books. People are
books
You have toiled yourself At home
into a servant. Your children call you
mother but regard you as their serv-
ant. You've educated them SO to do
and they can't helpit. They associate
you only with the care Of the house,
the care of the table, the washing and
mending. and the little else. You can't
think or talk of much else.
Your children see the difference be-
tween you and other ladies. When
you 90 in company you're always put.
ting your foot in it somewhere or turn
ing up some corner of the family cur
tain that had better have been left
turned down. For this reason your
children are both ashamed and afraid
of You. They can't elpit
You say your children should have
more gratitude. You can't expect
gratitude from children till they have
children o: their own. BY that time
it's too late for their gratitude to be of
much service to you.
Children take all their parents give
thcm-money clothes, food and shelter
AS matter Of course. They think
these things come asa matter of course
until they're obliged to 60 to work and
earn them.
You've toiled yourself into prema-
turely old woman. You complain that
your girls run over YOU" They
wouldn't run over you If you'd cult.
waited all your talents.
Dignity is talent. and you haven't
cultivated that. Command Of temper
is a talent, and you haven't cultivated
that. Grace of bearing. address, tact,
well-chosen language-all these are
talents. and you've given them all the
go-by.
You've committed that pernicious sin
of saving nothing for yourself and
every thing for your children. II say
ing that so that the childrens light
shone. you'd be willing to he Il suuffy
old candle. and now that You are a
snufy old candle. and your children
treat you as one, you don't like it.
Ought VIC not to love our children
better than oulselves'' you ask. No.
love thy neighbor as myself says
Scripture. Your children are your
neighbors. Marx the passage "as
myself" not better than thyself.
There Is certain amount Of love
due from every one to themselves. II
you don't love yourself you'll neg
lect yourself in some way. Love
doesn't mean abuse of self. It means
proper care of ones self. If you
don't love your body you won't keep
it properly cIeansed or clothed; il
you love your stomach you won't put
any thing in it to hurt it; you won't
put in it a bigger load than it can
carry. If yos love your mind you'll
see that it's kept clear, and polished.
and bright and ready to receive the
best ideas that come floating to it in
the air.
When you love any thing 50 much
that you're willing to give yourself all
away for Its sake, you're helping to
make ruin Of self and making your.
self less aud less able to attract love,
regard. esteem and respect from
others.
It's time we saw all the way round
some texts in Scripture, and not half.
way round. Your minister ought to